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RING FIC RING FIC RING FIC
“I think you should have this.” Secare said, offering the ring to Az. It was very pretty, and the shiny-thing impulse that Az shared with Crow lit up. But… “Is that what he would have wanted?” Secare seemed less surprised by the question than he was appreciative. After a moment, he said, “He wanted to give what he had to those who deserve it.” Az nodded respectfully, but gestured away Secare’s hand. “He already gave me enough.” Admiration in his eyes, Secare nodded and closed his fingers. “Very well.” Then he turned to the shadow behind Az, and reached out again. “Crow, then?” Crow glanced between his brother and his master, noticed the charmed light behind both’s eyes. He made a short bow, and accepted the gift. Both men satisfied, Az and Crow headed home. Halfway down the hallway, Crow slipped the ring into Az’s back pocket. It was nearly midnight, and Crow, nocturnal, had found a perch at a windowsill along the hallway. He thought Az had gone to bed hours ago, but, Heired had been in there with him, so who knows. There was rustling, and a gasp, and then, “... cRANTHONY?!” Az, shirtless and enraged, burst from his room to see Crow losing his shit in the windowsill. Crow saw the glint of the ring in Az’s hand, smirked, winked, and shadowstepped to the ground 50 feet below. By the time Crow finished walking back up, Az had gone to bed, and the ring was on his finger. ' ' (part 2 of ringfic that was SUPPOSED to be just as lighthearted, but) Az was (and is), for the most part, a being of love. War and vengeance are worthless without the peace and love to motivate them. Az loved fiercely and quickly (the going record for meeting-to-adopting time was four seconds), and largely unconditionally. He was the type of fellow who frustrated the wicked with his boundlessness, and made insecure some of the good with their own capacities. Like his morals, his relationships were black and white, and there were very few people who existed in the gray between love and hate. Understandably, Az was also a very easy man to love. Nearly all of his loves were reciprocated, which was meaningful considering their quantity. They weren’t always returned on the same level- often less, but also, occasionally, more. Az and his partner spent their Adept years showing each other up, in a fond way, and their Guardian years aimlessly flirting and dancing around each other. They were Vanguards, and their platoons were placing bets on how long they’d keep their hands off each other, when they finally got drunk enough to admit their feelings for each other. There came a period of absolutely intolerable love and passion, during which even those trainees who had won the bet regretted having to be around them. Heired loved Az, and Az loved Heired, and Heired felt- no, knew- that Az loved him far more than he loved the others. Intimacy brought unexpected, mundane, revelations. Az learned about Heired’s favorite foods, Heired learned Az’s taste in jewelry. Heired met Az’s parents and brother under more formal circumstances- Az learned about Heired’s orphan origins and upbringing. They spent as much time talking as they did anything else, and both learned just how much they enjoyed the other’s company. The new bet was on how long the Chosen’s would go without noticing Heired hadn’t actually slept in his own chambers in months. It calmed, as all things must, and their love no longer blinded the. They settled into a comfortable bliss, shot with bursts of occasional passion. They spent more time with other people. Az was still a being of love, after all; and Heired would have been content for the rest of his life with the fraction of that love he’d been gifted. Heired always imagined he’d propose impulsively, considering his relationship with alcohol. As it was, the idea came impulsively, gazing drunkenly into the blue eyes of a much soberer Az. Heired wanted to look in those eyes forever- wanted to claim them, however he could, for his own. But fear, insecurity, the dread that comes with drink, stopped him in his tracks. He pocketed the idea, and swallowed his words with another shot of whiskey. He asked Crow for his favorite gemstone, and Blossari for the size. He waited for their anniversary, which they both worked on, and had agreed to spend a nice night alone after. And it was a nice night. Heired cooked, there were three courses of dessert. They went for an evening walk. They came home, and sat by the fire, simply enjoying each other’s company. It was impossibly domestic, and the only thing that could have given Heired his courage. “Az?” The general sat up a little, from where he’d been melting into his bed. “Yes?” “I, uh, have something for you.” “Heired, love, you shouldn’t have.” but Az’s eyes were delighted. “No, no, it’s not-” Heired stumbled, standing. “It’s not like that.” Az swung his bulky legs to Heired’s side of the bed, looked up at him expectantly. Heired breathed. “Az, I love you. Very much.” Heired said. Az beamed, unblushing. “I honestly believe I always will. We’re partners, and I love you, and I want you to know that, and I want you to accept, uh, this.” Finally Heired managed to find the box, and open it, and offer it to Az. Az stared at the ring inside, for a long moment. “It’s beautiful.” Az murmured, awestruck. He took it delicately from the box. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t what Heired had been staring at. “You like it?” “I love it.” Az said, warm against Heired’s nerves. “Where did you find it?” “I had it made.” Heired said, sitting beside Az. Dazed, anxious, unconfirmed. He named the shop. Az nodded appreciatively. “Does that mean you’ll accept it?” Az looked at him with a touch of confusion. “Of course I will!” It was the answer Heired wanted, but a ball of dread still formed in his stomach. “Try it on, then.” he said, distantly. Az smiled, and did so. Blossari’s memory had been spot-on; it fit perfectly on Az’s ring finger. Of his right hand. Realization hit Heired like a speeding carriage. Az hadn’t even considered Heired’s question. Perhaps Heired had asked it wrong, been too unclear, but. The fact was, that Az didn’t feel the same. Az didn’t want what Heired wanted, at least not right now. “Heired, are you alright?” Heired stared once again at those blue eyes. They were full, entirely, of love. It was of an intensity Heired knew no one else in the world (excepting perhaps Crow) had ever received. But it wasn’t enough. Heired smiled. “No, I’m fine.” Az frowned as he admired the ring on his finger. “I feel bad. I didn’t get you anything like this.” Az loved him, more than just about anyone else, and Heired knew that. Ignoring all else, that would have to be enough. “It’s alright, love.” Heired said, and kissed his forehead. “You’ve given me plenty already.”